Last Modified: Saturday, July 5, 2014 at 2:46 p.m.

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From near and far, coon dog owners and fans of the festivities gathered downtown Saturday to celebrate man's best friend.

Following behind the Honor Guard in a red Corvette, Ruth Rhodes, grand marshal of the parade, waved to children and families who were eagerly cheering on the parade.

Sirens blared and dogs howled as fire trucks from as far as Glassy Mountain, Green River and Green Creek flashed their lights and honked their horns.

Self-appointed Coon Queen Ginger Taylor sat majestically on the back of a green BMW convertible wearing a black raccoon eye mask and fur-fringed hood over her head, complete with little fuzzy ears on top.

Taylor and eight other couples from Lexington, S.C. come up for the parade each year, and this year designated her to be their queen while her friends also dressed as raccoons with little tails swinging and fanning her with long bamboo leaves.

“I am from Texas and last year was my first year and, so it so much fun we decided to do it again,” Taylor said. “And, I married a gentleman from South Carolina here so I moved from Texas to here and I've just barely been here a year.”

Taylor said she's enjoyed her time visiting North Carolina and was proud to be nominated as the raccoon queen.

The couples said they had to special order their costumes online just for the day.

Following close behind with a rainbow afro wig and a big red nose, Ron “Ronzo” Dellinger dressed as a clown in overalls. He came out with the Hendersonville Shrine Club to entertain the crowd as a way to thank the community for helping them raise money for the Shriners Hospitals for Children in Greenville, S.C.

“Without them there wouldn't be a Shriners, there wouldn't be a hospital because it's all donations,” Dellinger said.

John Hubbs said the people of Hendersonville and Saluda have made them the number one Shrine Club in America by raising $100,000 a year in donations.

Anita Lee and her sons Timothy, 7, and Samuel, 2, from East Flat Rock got to go on a ride with the Shrine Club as one of the families they have helped to support with their medical care.

Timothy has prosthetic legs starting at his knee caps that he has to be fitted for two each year.

“We just wanted to give something back because of all they do without them there wouldn't be a hospital and without the hospital we wouldn't be able to provide the kind of care that they give them,” Lee said. “It's all about the kids.”

Golf carts covered in Christmas ornaments(?) and tinsel wished onlookers a Merry Christmas in July from the Piney Mountain homeowners association.

Leading the group, Opie Reid said his favorite part of the parade each year is when they get to the nursing home when residents are all lined up sitting outside and he and his neighbors get to run up and pass out candy and beaded necklaces to them.

Near the end of the parade, close to 100 bicyclers with deCycles Southeast 2014, a nonprofit ecumenical youth leadership program offering bicycle trips for teenagers and young adults, jumped into the parade as they passed through from Key West, Fla. to Bloomington, Ind.

Onlooker Chris Sanders, 43 from Charleston, S.C. said he loves coming up to the small town for a break each year with his blue healer Zeke to enjoy the parade and barbeque together.

For anyone looking to take home a coon dog of their own, Kelly Postell, 27, with Carolina Coonhound Rescue was ready to assist. She and another board member from the shelter traveled up with two pups ready for adoption, a plot hound named Pancho and an English coon hound named Ducker, both dressed up with American flag bandanas around their necks.

“I think next year we're going to try to have a booth,” Postell said.

The team said they were looking for people who wanted to raise the dogs as pets and be part of the family because many of them were rescued for not being the best hunters.

“If we find the right home we'll definitely send these guys home today,” Postell said.

<p>Waving the red, white and blue, the Henderson County Honor Guard marched down Main Street in Saluda leading the 51st annual Coon Dog Day Parade. </p><p>From near and far, coon dog owners and fans of the festivities gathered downtown Saturday to celebrate man's best friend. </p><p>Following behind the Honor Guard in a red Corvette, Ruth Rhodes, grand marshal of the parade, waved to children and families who were eagerly cheering on the parade. </p><p>Sirens blared and dogs howled as fire trucks from as far as Glassy Mountain, Green River and Green Creek flashed their lights and honked their horns.</p><p>Self-appointed Coon Queen Ginger Taylor sat majestically on the back of a green BMW convertible wearing a black raccoon eye mask and fur-fringed hood over her head, complete with little fuzzy ears on top. </p><p>Taylor and eight other couples from Lexington, S.C. come up for the parade each year, and this year designated her to be their queen while her friends also dressed as raccoons with little tails swinging and fanning her with long bamboo leaves.</p><p>“I am from Texas and last year was my first year and, so it so much fun we decided to do it again,” Taylor said. “And, I married a gentleman from South Carolina here so I moved from Texas to here and I've just barely been here a year.”</p><p>Taylor said she's enjoyed her time visiting North Carolina and was proud to be nominated as the raccoon queen.</p><p>The couples said they had to special order their costumes online just for the day. </p><p>Following close behind with a rainbow afro wig and a big red nose, Ron “Ronzo” Dellinger dressed as a clown in overalls. He came out with the Hendersonville Shrine Club to entertain the crowd as a way to thank the community for helping them raise money for the Shriners Hospitals for Children in Greenville, S.C.</p><p>“Without them there wouldn't be a Shriners, there wouldn't be a hospital because it's all donations,” Dellinger said. </p><p>John Hubbs said the people of Hendersonville and Saluda have made them the number one Shrine Club in America by raising $100,000 a year in donations. </p><p>Anita Lee and her sons Timothy, 7, and Samuel, 2, from East Flat Rock got to go on a ride with the Shrine Club as one of the families they have helped to support with their medical care.</p><p>Timothy has prosthetic legs starting at his knee caps that he has to be fitted for two each year.</p><p>“We just wanted to give something back because of all they do without them there wouldn't be a hospital and without the hospital we wouldn't be able to provide the kind of care that they give them,” Lee said. “It's all about the kids.”</p><p>Golf carts covered in Christmas ornaments(?) and tinsel wished onlookers a Merry Christmas in July from the Piney Mountain homeowners association.</p><p>Leading the group, Opie Reid said his favorite part of the parade each year is when they get to the nursing home when residents are all lined up sitting outside and he and his neighbors get to run up and pass out candy and beaded necklaces to them.</p><p>Near the end of the parade, close to 100 bicyclers with deCycles Southeast 2014, a nonprofit ecumenical youth leadership program offering bicycle trips for teenagers and young adults, jumped into the parade as they passed through from Key West, Fla. to Bloomington, Ind.</p><p>Onlooker Chris Sanders, 43 from Charleston, S.C. said he loves coming up to the small town for a break each year with his blue healer Zeke to enjoy the parade and barbeque together.</p><p>For anyone looking to take home a coon dog of their own, Kelly Postell, 27, with Carolina Coonhound Rescue was ready to assist. She and another board member from the shelter traveled up with two pups ready for adoption, a plot hound named Pancho and an English coon hound named Ducker, both dressed up with American flag bandanas around their necks. </p><p>“I think next year we're going to try to have a booth,” Postell said. </p><p>The team said they were looking for people who wanted to raise the dogs as pets and be part of the family because many of them were rescued for not being the best hunters.</p><p>“If we find the right home we'll definitely send these guys home today,” Postell said.</p><p>___</p><p>Reach Bindewald at 828-694-7890 or renee.bindewald@blueridgenow.com.</p>